Melissa Federspill|Leader-News
Kurt Johnson enjoys a cup of espresso at Bread of Daily life Christian Fellowship, exactly where his artwork is shown in the track record.
The fellowship hall at Bread of Life Christian Fellowship is cozy, like a living place, with relaxed sofas and partitions adorned with the artwork of Uvalde resident Kurt Johnson, who makes use of the space to exhibit his a long time of creations.
Site visitors to the fellowship corridor, which the church calls “Cup of Everyday living,” are addressed to a display screen of far more than 30 photographs of South Texas windmills and their environment, all performed by Johnson.
His windmills and landscapes are drawings as very well as watercolors, all of several dimensions, and Johnson suggests they represent just a smattering of the artwork he has accomplished by the decades.
“I’m a collector,” he reported.
Johnson is about 80 and has lived in Uvalde for far more than 4 a long time. His artwork incorporates lots of subjects this kind of as landscapes, his depictions of areas he has traveled, his interpretation of Bible stories and verses, and scenes from Uvalde’s earlier.
At a single issue, he explained, he created artwork from avenue scenes in Uvalde, depicting the massive trees that are section of numerous roadways. He stated quite a few of the trees he painted have because been lower down.
Rob Zeiner, pastor of Bread of Life Christian Fellowship, who frequently contributes religious columns to the Chief-Information by means of the Uvalde Ministerial Alliance, reported church members specifically relished Johnson’s Uvalde streetscapes, with some even recognizing residences they or their good friends after lived in.
Johnson, who is also the showcased artist of the thirty day period for April at El Progreso Memorial Library, is a retired Southwest Texas Junior College professor. He left his post in 2002 soon after 32 years as an artwork teacher. He taught different classes, which includes jewelry producing, ceramics, drawing, water color, and oil portray.
He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and identified his way to Texas when his father, whom he described as a “newspaper gentleman,” purchased the Huge Bend Sentinel in Marfa.
He graduated from Marfa Superior School in 1957, and he reported there have been 13 learners in his graduating course. He went to higher education, acquired a bachelor’s degree, and entered the civil support as a crafts director for the United States Army at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio and at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. He afterwards served in the U.S. Air Power, and used time in Vietnam as an administrative officer.
Immediately after leaving the military, Johnson decided to go again to faculty for a master’s degree and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin.
He gained a master of wonderful arts in 1971, and was a public faculty teacher for about year just before signing up for the employees at SWTJC.
When he retired, he and his spouse, Viki, made a decision they would do their touring in a leisure motor vehicle. Johnson explained he continued to generate when they traveled, with his artwork using on a tiny postcard size, because of to area restrictions in the RV. Johnson reported he used his camcorder to capture illustrations or photos he required to depict, and would then sit at the smaller dining desk in the RV and paint or draw his images.
He afterwards despatched them as submit cards, mailing them to buddies back property. Zeiner explained Johnson’s church spouse and children treasured the postcards and quite a few framed them as keepsakes.
Johnson explained he’s not interested in providing his artwork but stated the Cup of Everyday living place gives him a great exhibition house.
The gallery walls of El Progreso Memorial Library also are displaying a series of Johnson’s work depicting cave drawings from Seminole Canyon State Park, found 109 miles west of Uvalde.
The Johnsons would volunteer at the point out park throughout the summer time just before and immediately after his retirement. They also volunteered at condition parks in Florida, Ga, and Nevada.
These times, Johnson stated, he’s not performing a lot artwork or traveling. His major outlet is sketching during Sunday assistance, when listening to Zeiner give his lectures.
To see some of Johnson’s creations, pay a visit to the library at 301 W. Major, or the church at 700 N. Significant.
[email protected], 830-278-3335
